1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector structure of an optical pickup unit and a connector structure. This connector structure includes a junction terminal inside its housing. Contacting inward projections are formed at the upper and the lower positions of the distal ends of the junction terminal, and the rear end of the junction terminal is connected with a board through a terminal. A flexible flat cable is inserted into the housing. A conductive section of the flexible flat cable contacts the contacting inward projections of the junction terminal so that continuity between the conductive section and the contacting inward projections can be provided.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to a typical connector structure of this type included in an optical pickup unit, a connector C is attached to an optical pickup unit 101 via a board 102 as illustrated in FIG. 7. In a conventional structure, contacting inward projections 105 are provided at the upper and lower positions of the distal ends of a junction terminal 104 which is equipped inside a housing 103 of the connector C. A terminal 106 of the junction terminal 104 is attached to the board 102. A flexible flat cable 107 is inserted into the housing 103, and a conductive section 108 of the flexible flat cable 107 contacts the contacting inward projections 105 of the junction terminal 104 so that continuity between the conductive section 108 and the contacting inward projections 105 can be provided.
However, since an end of the flexible flat cable 107 inserted into the housing 103 is not fixed but freely movable as illustrated in FIG. 7, the flexible flat cable 107 moves upward and downward when the optical pickup unit 101 is shifted toward the inner periphery and the outer periphery of a disk and the flexible flat cable 107 is thus tensioned. This causes insufficient contact between the flexible flat cable 107 and the contacting inward projections 105 of the junction terminal 104 in some cases.
FIG. 8 illustrates a connector as a first related art. According to this connector, a terminal 204 is supported by a housing 201 having an insertion concave 202 as illustrated in FIG. 8. Contacts 206a and 207a are provided on first and second control pieces 206 and 207, respectively, which are formed on a terminal 204. A control piece 209 extends from the distal end of the second control piece 207. An inclined surface 217 for elastically deforming the control piece 209 is formed on a slider 211 which is inserted into and removed from the insertion concave 202 of the housing 201. When the slider 211 is pulled out, the inclined surface 217 presses the control piece 209 to open the clearance between the pair of the contacts 206a and 207a larger than the thickness of a conductive member A by the elastic deformation of the control piece 209. A terminal section of the conductive member A is inserted into the clearance between the contacts 206a and 207a. Then, the pressing force applied on the control piece 209 is released by pushing the slider 211 into the insertion concave 202 so that the terminal section of the conductive member A can be elastically supported between the pair of the contacts 206a and 207a (see JP-A-7-192822, for example).
In this structure, however, the conductive member A is difficult to be inserted since the space between a guide surface 210 and an introduction surface 213 is narrow and curved.
FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a terminal connecting section of a flat cable as a second related art. According to this terminal connecting section, a conductive section 303a of a flat cable 303 and a pressure-contact section 304a of a tab terminal 304 are inserted between contacts 301c and 301c of a junction terminal 301 as illustrated in FIG. 9A. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 9B, the tab terminal 304 is rotated until it is disposed in a vertically extending position so that the junction terminal 301 can be supported by the elastic force of elastic arms 301b and 301b (see JP-A-7-296911, for example).
In this structure, however, the structure is complicated using a large number of components since the tab terminal 304 is required.
FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate a connecting device for a flexible printed board as a third related art. This connecting device for a flexible printed board includes a block 411 having a contact 414 and a concave 416 and a block 421 having a contact 422 and a projection 423 as illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B. The contact 414 is disposed in such a position as to be located between the contact 422 and the projection 423 when the blocks 411 and 421 come into contact with each other. A flexible printed board 405 is inserted into the concave 416, and the flexible printed board 405 is bended by the blocks 411 and 421 to be fixed thereto (see JP-UM-59-134387, for example).
In this structure, however, time and labor are required for assembling the blocks 411 and 421.
FIGS. 11A through 11D illustrate a flat cable connector as a fourth related art. According to this flat cable connector, an end of an inserted flat cable 550 and a tongue-shaped piece 542 of a slider 540 are pushed into a space between a thirteenth arm 533 and a twenty-third arm 534 so as to apply contact pressure to a region between a contact 535 and a conductive section of the flat cable 550 and to fix the slider 540 to an insulating housing 520 via a contact 530 through latch engagement of an engaging projection 536 as illustrated in FIGS. 11A through 11D (see JP-A-10-22009, for example).
In this structure, however, the flat cable 550 is difficult to be inserted, and the structure is complicated.